Google Drive app on iOS gets Face ID and Touch ID support

Google Drive app for iPhone and iPad has received a new update that adds support for Face ID and Touch ID as an additional layer of protection. Version 4.2020.18204 of the Google Drive app on the App Store mentions the arrival of a new feature called Privacy Screen that integrates Face ID and Touch ID for the cloud storage app.

The app listing only mentions that Face ID or Touch ID will protect sensitive files from prying eyes. However, Google warns that Privacy Screen may not provide the necessary protection when it comes to notifications, “Certain Siri functionality”, files shared using the Files app and photo transfers from the Photos app.

Privacy Screen will require Face ID or Touch ID authentication every time the Google Drive app is opened. However, users can prevent Privacy Screen from kicking in for a duration of 10 seconds, one minute, or 10 minutes while multitasking. Interestingly, the changelog is dated May 4, but as per a Digital Trends report, this feature began showing up for users back in October.

Source: App Store

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Google Drive annual plans look to be in the making

If you’d pay a lump sum fee and hope to gain some sort of discount for a bulk buy, you’d join those wholesale warehouse clubs, wouldn’t you? Well, if you decided to get a year’s worth of services from software vendors, you’d expect the same thing.

Google has somewhat caught onto this. Android Police has tracked down new annual plan options for the 100GB and 1TB tiers of Google Drive storage. Instead of paying $1.99 or $9.99 per month for the extra cloud space, you can pay $19.99 or $99.99 on an annual basis for each tier — basically getting 12 months of service for the price of ten.

Dropbox has been offering the same sort of discount for its Pro plans for a couple of years going on now.

The Drive annual plans are apparently not live yet, but given that we’ve got a screenshot to show this off, we presume it can’t be too far in the offing.

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Google encourages iPhoners to move to Android with new backups strategy

Apple’s first Android app, cruelly enough, was an app that allowed those considering switching from the green robot to an iWhatever to make sure all the data made the trip with them.

We don’t believe Apple would allow Google to make a similar app named “Move to Android” and put it in the App Store, but hey, at least you have a game plan if you want to go the other way around.

That plan is at android.com/switch and entails downloading some Google apps if you don’t already have them.

The Google Photos app can help users (who sign into their Google account) back up their photos to the cloud. The backups of high-quality “optimized” images or original quality photos up to 13 megapixels in resolution are free and don’t count against users’ data.

Up to 50,000 songs in switchers’ iTunes libraries can be moved to Google Play Music through a manager program, available from the site. Fair warning: signing up for Google Play Music will need a credit card on the account.

The Google Drive app has been updated to include backup functions for contacts and calendar events from your local drive, too.

Finally, you’re advised to turn off iMessage to keep your number from bursting with unnecessary messages on your dead account. That might be the biggest hurdle out of this journey, but it’s a must-do if you feel like switching operating systems.

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Google encourages iPhoners to move to Android with new backups strategy

Apple’s first Android app, cruelly enough, was an app that allowed those considering switching from the green robot to an iWhatever to make sure all the data made the trip with them.

We don’t believe Apple would allow Google to make a similar app named “Move to Android” and put it in the App Store, but hey, at least you have a game plan if you want to go the other way around.

That plan is at android.com/switch and entails downloading some Google apps if you don’t already have them.

The Google Photos app can help users (who sign into their Google account) back up their photos to the cloud. The backups of high-quality “optimized” images or original quality photos up to 13 megapixels in resolution are free and don’t count against users’ data.

Up to 50,000 songs in switchers’ iTunes libraries can be moved to Google Play Music through a manager program, available from the site. Fair warning: signing up for Google Play Music will need a credit card on the account.

The Google Drive app has been updated to include backup functions for contacts and calendar events from your local drive, too.

Finally, you’re advised to turn off iMessage to keep your number from bursting with unnecessary messages on your dead account. That might be the biggest hurdle out of this journey, but it’s a must-do if you feel like switching operating systems.

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Google Drive Add-Ons now on Android

If you work with a Pixel C or any Android device you’d like to type lots of text on, you can now hack your writing and chart-making just like any other person on a PC.A set of Google Docs and Sheets Add-Ons are now available on the Google Play Store. EasyBib, Teacher Aide, DocuSign and Google Classroom are part of the group of nine available right now, giving you access to CRM ...

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Nexus shutterbugs may get Google Photos sweetheart deal

If YouTube didn’t show how deep Google’s cloud bank has grown to be, bring on last year’s I/O. The event brought on the free storage of lightly-processed images under 16 megapixels in resolution. Original quality photo uploads still count against users’ Drive storage, but there’s a hint coming through from the code compilation of the Google Photos app, version 1.21.// // // // ...

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Check your Google account security settings and score another free 2GB Drive storage

What do you think of when we mention February holidays? Valentine’s Day? Well, sure, that’s the easy one. What you might not have been aware of is that tomorrow, February 9, is Safer Internet Day, part of a decade-old campaign dedicated to promoting good security practices among internet users. Considering all the personal data we entrust to online services, keeping our information locked down and under our control is more important now than ever, and this week some big names like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Google are all spreading the word about what each of us can do to ...

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Google Drive scores another update aimed at ‘super easy’ organization

We all know Google’s software updates come in waves, so after Maps, Cardboard, the Now Launcher, Google Plus and Play Store, it felt safe to expect a little something, something ...

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Google Drive makes it ‘super easy’ to find your cloud stored files, regardless of origin

Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, or Google Drive? Tough choice for digital hoarders looking to stack up their essential files in the most accessible, safest and cheapest environment, especially after Redmond inexplicably downgraded free space allotment, also scrapping its ...

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Google, Microsoft, Amazon embrace 3D Touch in latest app updates

With this year’s iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, Apple introduced a new mechanic for how users interact with apps, giving the phones force-sensitive “3D Touch” input. Of course, for an app to actually take advantage of that kind of input, a developer’s going to have to go back and intentionally build support for such interactions. But will they actually take the time to do so, especially with only the newest iPhones supporting it?

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There is no such thing as “the cloud,” it’s just somebody else’s computer

Nearly everybody uses cloud services these days, to some varying degree. It’s almost unavoidable at this point; the moment you set up an Android phone, it prompts you to create a Gmail account in order to download apps, then proceeds to automatically back up your contacts and other information to the cloud. The same goes for Apple’s iCloud service, and Microsoft’s OneDrive as well. At any given moment, your phone could even be uploading your photos to the cloud, if you have such a feature enabled on your phone. Even if you try your best to avoid it, it’s likely that ...

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3 things you should never store in the cloud

Storing sensitive data in the cloud has always been questionable. Over the weekend we learned just how “sensitive” that data can be. Just in case you were on vacation, unplugged from technology, and haven’t heard the news, reportedly dozens of celebrities had their iCloud accounts hacked and nude photos stolen and posted publicly on the Internet.While some may celebrate this as a triumph, it’s really a horrifying violation of privacy. How would you feel if the leaked images were of your spouse, your child, or your parent?Basically, what’s being reported is ...

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Gmail update brings closer integration with Google Drive

It’s hard not to commend Google for the job the company has been doing in enhancing the services we consume through Android and even iOS at times. We’ve seen frequent updates to services like Google Now and YouTube over the last couple of weeks, and today Gmail takes a turn at some enhancements. The company is pushing an update that will provide you with a couple of new enhancements, ...

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